#damian adopts pets like bruce adopts children

[batfam-stuff-posts-0]

Damian: *hiding something in his coat* We should adopt another child.

Jon: No.

Damian: Why not?

Jon: Because when you say 'child' you mean 'cat' and we already have fifteen of those.

Damian: *unzips coat* Sixteen.

[alienzil]

Grandfathered In

There, a job well done. Alfred thought to himself as he put the last grocery bag in the back of the car. Meal planning and shopping for a family as large as his own (and their semi frequent unexpected guests) did take quite a bit of his time but he'd managed to finish a bit early this week.

Alfred was thinking fondly of spending his extra time with a nice cup of tea and a book when he heard a noise from the nearby alley.

He stilled and listened intently. That was the sound of someone in pain. A child in pain if he wasn't mistaken (a sound he would rather he wasn't so familiar with). Well then, the tea would have to wait.

Alfred quietly moved into the alleyway, his hand inside his coat gripping the pistol hidden there. Hurt child or not, it never hurts to be cautious in Gotham.

"Good Heavens!"

There was a boy with pure white hair and bright, barely open, luminous green eyes. He was curled up, partially hidden by the dumpster, clearly barely clinging to consciousness and was oozing bright green blood from a large abdominal wound as well as several smaller cuts and burns.

He approached slowly and held out his hands to try to appear as friendly and non threatening as possible. "You appear to be in a bit of trouble young sir, perhaps I can help?"

The boy nodded weakly and Alfred knelt down and reached to pick him up. Best to get him into the car quickly and make use of his emergency first aid kit to stabilize the boy then get him home for further treatment. The hospital clearly wasn't an option for the young Meta... or alien perhaps? Something to ask once the boy was up to it.

Alfred carefully cradled the child and briskly moved back towards the car. He appeared to be a young teenager but he weighed so little, Alfred almost felt as though he was holding a toddler rather than a teen.

He lay the boy down in the back seat and leaned over to reassure him, gently moving his hair out of his eyes and petting is head in a soothing gesture. "There now, we'll have you right as rain in no time."

"Ha" the injured young Meta tried to laugh. "Might take...some time.. Don't ya think?"

Oh he'd fit right in, Alfred couldn't help thinking. Sassing even as he lay there bleeding. Well, in spirit if not quite the usual appearance, Alfred considered, eyeing the white hair and bright green eyes but-

A bright white suddenly light filled the car. Alfred blinked away the spots from his vision then stared in astonishment at the now black haired, blue eyed boy before him. Well then, fit right in indeed.

*****

Bruce blearily wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table just barely holding in a yawn. He'd been in space on a mission with the Justice League for over 3 weeks and had only just gotten back to Earth in time to crash into bed and get a few hours of sleep before he had to be back up.

He reached for his coffee and looked around the table at his children. Tired as he was, it was good to be home. It even looked like everyone had made it for breakfast, a rare event for their family. Dick, Jason, Tim, Cass, Stephanie, Barbara, Damian, Duke and...

"Who's this?" Bruce asked with friendly smile. Did one of his kids make a new friend?

Alfred silently appeared next to him. "That is your son."

"My son?" What was happening? Bruce was too tired for this. He counted again, Dick, Jason, Tim, Cass, Stephanie, Barbara, Damian, Duke and...he looked closely at the last one. Black hair, blue eyes. Looks like one of his... He had no idea who this child was.

"Your son." Alfred said firmly as he sat some papers next to Bruce's plate.

Bruce looked down. Those were adoption papers.

"Oh. My. God." Stephanie whisper screamed from across the table. "That's where B got the adoption habit from!"

Bruce's attention was diverted from the multiple children trying to shush Stephanie as an uncapped pen was placed in front of him. He looked up as Alfred raised a single eyebrow and gave him a pointed look.

"Right, of course. My son."

He quickly scanned the adoption papers as he signed them then looked over at his latest child.

"Welcome to the family, Danny."

Note: I don't currently have plans to continue this. Anyone can add on if they would like to :-)

[haveihitanerve]

Bruce & Jason centric in that they find a hobby they can do together and actually bond over.

Bruce helped Dick with his acrobatics when he was younger, acting as a spotter. Jason goes in drives with Dick.

Bruce plays minecraft with Tim and is concerningly good at it (Bruce is good with building, Tim is good at speed running). Jason and Tim are always getting into classic olderbrother-youngerbrother dynamic and feud about the smallest things, but they somehow end with a truce of "..Wanna get ice cream?" and it works 9 times outta 10.

Bruce and Damian spend time drawing together in the designated art room. Bruce, of course, does well with architectural designs, but he occasionally dabbles in portraits, and Damian does the opposite. Jason and Damian bond over their memories and time in the LOA.

But what do Bruce and Jason bond with? Sports? Games? TV Shows? Books? Ever since Jason came back as Red Hood, their relationship has been awkward at best and very strained at almost worst.

I feel like they have lots of things to bond over, idk really- for sure books, some other headcanons i have are boxing, it seems like something they both like to do, otherwise history because Bruce loves to know and jason loves literature :) but heres my attempt at writing this for you

Jason hadn't planned on being in the Manor. He was only here, quite honestly, because Tim really wanted his laptop but he really didn't want to come home because he was injured and he might run into Alfred, or worse, Bruce, and Jason could understand that so he had reluctantly agreed and left the kid at his safehouse, and was now at the Manor.

He prayed he didn't run into anyone. Dick and Babs were out on a date, he knew, which meant Batgirl would once again make an appearance tonight, and they wouldn't be home until around three, Alfred was in the kitchen and wasn't planned to leave it for at least another half hour, until he finished his late night cup of tea and chapter of his new book, and the rest of the kids were holed up at Jason's apartment. Unfortunately.

Jason sighed, pushing open Tim's bedroom door to snag his laptop. Duke had asked him to swing by his room too and grab some things if he was "going over there anyway" and Damian didn't even need to ask, Jason stopped by and grabbed Alfred the cat... except the cat wasn't in his room.

Jason fought a groan. If the cat wasn't in the demon brats room then he was anywhere else in the house, and the most likely case was that he was with one of the people in the house, because despite being a cat, the creature was like a goddamned dog, constantly seeking affection and running up to people for pets.

Jason cursed Bruce's nature for adopting children and Talia for ever forcing him to create his own, throwing all the stuff he'd collected into his duffel bag and heading deeper into the Manor. On the hunt. For a cat. What even was his life anymore.

Sure enough, light was streaming from the billiard room, because of course they had a billiard room, and Jason could hear the distinct sound of a cat meowing. He winced, pushing the door open slowly, and found Bruce hunched over the billiard table, Alfred the cat draped across his shoulders, fiddling with some things. Jason cleared his throat.

Bruce glanced up, and after a small frown of confusion at seeing who it was, lit up. "Jason! What are you doing here?" Bruce seemed to regret the words the second they came out of his mouth, judging them to be too harsh, but Jason came further into the room, lifting the duffel bag.

"Tim and the others asked me to grab some stuff." Bruce nodded thoughtfully, glancing at the clock. "Will they be home soon?" He asked carefully. Jason shrugged. "prolly not. They can crash, its fine." Bruce nodded. "Okay. Good." There was a beat of awkward silence.

"Oh uh, Damian wanted the cat." Jason coughed, gesturing to Alfred. "Oh!" Bruce nodded, slipping the cat off his shoulders and handing him to Jason. "Right... well." Jason coughed again. "What are... you doing?" Bruce blinked at him a few times, like he'd never expected Jason to show an interest in his work, which was crazy giving the way Jason had died

But quickly recovered, gesturing him closer. "Stamps. I collect them." "You collect stamps?" Jason asked dubiously. Bruce nodded emphatically. "Oh yes. They're so fascinating. They tell a story. Like this one, for instance, is from World War Two. Or this one, the Persian War. Despite everything, people still find time to write letters, to communicate with each other."

"Huh." Jason nodded, leaning over the table to look at the rest of the stamps. Bruce had quite the collection. "I can show you more, if you'd like." He offered uncertainly. Jason took a step back. "Right. Yeah. No, I- I'd like that." Bruce blinked. "You would?" The words were careful. Weighing. Jason nodded, swallowing.

"Y-yeah. I- uh, I gotta get back to the others," He lifted the duffel bag. "But uh, maybe some other time. This seems... really cool." Bruce smiled. "Truly? Well... good. Thats good. I- I'll uh. I'll leave them out then. For next time." Jason nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Next time."

The letter arrived a week later, an ancient stamp on the front, and a detailed description inside, a bit too detailed, but Jason appreciated it. He began searching, scouring everywhere he could with every piece of free time he had, and sent his own back, adding in pieces of information and evidence about Killer Croc that he'd been meaning to share later anyway.

It became their thing, a little bit of back and forth, and soon the letters grew longer, only a paragraph dedicated to actually explaining the origins or story, and more about their lives, their old life and their new. It became a game, leaving stamps out for the other to find, trying to guess what year the stamp was from without opening the letter, and randomly sticking stamps onto evidence to see if the other person would be able to guess it. A thing. Bruce smiled every time he thought about it. And if Jason showed up more at family functions, and allowed Bruce to wrap an arm around his shoulders to the surprise of everyone else... well, that was their little secret.

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

People who complain that Bruce Wayne is a bad person cause he "doesn't do enough" are so annoying fr.

"He just dresses up and punches mentally ill people" yeah and sends them to a facility to help them (of which many HAVE gotten better [see Waylon Jones]). A facility that has had the corruption ripped from the roots up purely for the sake of helping his own enemies. No matter how many times they break out and try to kill him, he sends them back to be rehabilitated. He only fights them because they have ice rays and mind control and all that. But even in fighting them, he usually only goes all out on the clown. He canonically tries to be soft with Harley and even temporarily gave her a job.

"He doesn't do anything with his money" bitch?? What do you think Wayne Enterprises does?? What do you think the Jason Todd Foundation is??? Why do you think he's poured his money several times into fixing Arkham Asylum??? Like bro there's literally an entire cult of other billionaires who unironically spend their time and money dismantling Bruce's efforts. He's doing the best he can with what he's got.

"He brings children into his war" Dick, Jason, Barbara, Harper, Stephanie, Duke, and Lance all either did or tried to do vigilante work without Bruce's help. Other characters like Tim and Damian refused to accept a no. He instead gave these kids a support network to do vigilante work safer and more efficiently and have them people to call family.

"The kids die or get hurt" Jason died after being betrayed by his own mother, Stephanie "died" after directly going against his orders, Tim was blown up by drones controlled by Steph's dad, Barbara was paralyzed in an attempt to upset her father, and Lance died after taking the costume and getting shot all without Bruce's knowledge (hence why it's important he takes the kids under his wing).

"He doesn't affect crime rates" in Gotham maybe, but see the Court of Owls mentioned above. He works with the JLA and JSA to take down crime all across the world and galaxy. He founded Batman Inc, a network of Batman ripoffs across the world who keep in touch, use each other's resources, and get backup from each other to fight crime in their corners of the world.

Hell, even "he's a bad father" is just bad writing. He's actually a very caring father, even if he does maybe struggle. He gave Jason his own damn library and he allows Damian to keep a whole army of weird pets (including a literal demon). He took Damian in upon learning about his existence, allowed him to express himself as Robin, sent him to school, taught him morals and compassion, and LITERALLY WENT TO HELL TO RETRIEVE HIS SOUL WHEN HE DIED. He took in Cass despite knowing Shiva would retaliate. He taught her to speak and he encouraged her to learn ballet. He even officially adopted Dick, Jason, and Tim in 3 separate emotional moments. And also bro literally adopted a piece of an alien hivemind (Jarro best Robin).

Like he was raised by Alfred-motherfucking-Pennyworth. There was never a chance he would turn out as corrupt.

[redheadjustin]

could u do batfam x toddler male reader who is rlly shy but someone tries to like kidnap him at a gala and the fam just has to figure out what to do

Ah yes, the infamous bat family. And the family that proves blood isn’t everything. Bruce, the infamous Batman, had adopted all of his children. With the notable exception of Stephaine and Duke. Steaphaine was still living with her mom, when she wasn’t in rehab. And at this point Burce was only fostering Duke though everyone but Duke knew adoption papers were imminent.

Which brings us to you. You were adopted by Bruce the second you were born. Though that's because both of your parents weren't in a good place to raise you. So, one night your parents approached Batman after a fight. And you were a member of the bat family ever since.

Dick was the best oldest brother. You could ask for. He always made time for you. And always took you to the circus. And he instilled the same love for elephants he had.

Jason was not as lovey dovey as Dick. but he always has time for you and a nerf battle. He also takes you to the safe part of crime alley.

Tim loves to teach you technology. He's also the one to keep watch over you during your naps since he never sleeps. 

Damian is in charge of your exercise and physical development. He also is as caring to you as his pets. And he almost never insults you. He also trains with you in the bat cave when Bruce is busy. 

Duke is the one who exposes you to Gotham culture and other things like music and art. He knows how easy it is to become spoiled and out of touch. He doesn’t want that for you. Plus your parents are from the streets like him. He wants you to know full well what background you come from. 

Bruce is the best Father you could ever ask for. He loves to take you to meet other heroes. He knows Batman will be your favorite hero till you die. He also brings you gifts often after a mission. And he is there most nights to tuck you in. He genuinely cares and has done his best to scale back his Batman activities. He cares about his newest son.

But during a gala Riddler kidnapped you. It was all hands on deck for the Bat family. They called all reserve membersing Batwoman, Batgirl, Spoiler, Orphan, Batwing, Huntress and The Question. Bruce wasn’t taking any chances. 

Riddler was driving when the Bat family found you. You were in the backseat scared, confused, lonely. Your young mind couldn’t figure out why you were taken. You didn’t know that your family’s wealth would put a target on your back. 

What neither you or your captor noticed was the batmobile gaining on the car. Or the batcycles riding next to the car. You looked out the right window and saw Robin(Damian) on a batcycle. Damian smiled seeing you unharmed. The current Robin winked at you and pointed backwards. Curious, you turned your head to look out the back window and you saw the batmobile. Your eyes went wide with happiness and you whispered to yourself. “Daddy came.” 

It was then the car hit spikes in the road that Batwoman and Question set up. The car’s skidd was controlled and you were left unharmed. Then the windshield was broken as a fist reached in and pulled Riddler out of the care. That’s when you saw Red Hood. jason was pissed as hell but you didn’t have time to think about that for long as the door opened and a pair of black gloves reached in to pick you up. You knew instantly it was Your Daddy. Batman. And as soon as you could you curled in to Batman’s chest.

“Shhh, its okay baby bat. We’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Bruce says to his youngest son, he is determined to never let this happen again. “I’ve got you.”

[televisionlassie]

I feel like people don’t realize how jarring it probably for all of Bruce’s kids to be adopted.

There’s this strange idea the adoption is “saving” a kid, and I get how in some ways this can be true for people but imagine being the kid. You’re taken away from everything you’ve ever known and sent with some person, you barely know. That can be traumatizing. Adopted children (even if they are adopted by a good family) are at a much higher risk of mental health issues and developing learning disabilities.

Now imagine this for each of Bruce’s children.

Dick grew up in a traveling circus, he was used to never staying in one place for long. He was surrounded by many different families and cultures. He went from living like that to juvie. And even after he moved in with Bruce it’s still completely different from living in the circus.

Cass was treated like she was a weapon. She wasn’t a human to people. When she was adopted her whole perspective on her life and being human was changed, and she just had to adjust because no one could understand that.

Jason was literally a street kid. I think he’s the easiest to say Bruce “saved” but it is still a HUGE. difference in lifestyle. He went from fending for himself, never relying on anyone and having to steal just to feed himself, to living in a place that is quite literally the complete opposite of that.

The thing about Tim is there is a weird misconception that he was like horribly neglected, and he was sort of, but his parents loved him. He definitely had a good childhood. I hate to say one of them would have it easier because I don’t think any of their situations were easy, but Tim definitely had it easier to adjust. Doesn’t mean it’s still not shocking to have to get used to a completely new family dynamic.

Duke had a loving family. He might not have been rich but he had a family that he loves and grew up with. The worst part about his situation is that his parents are still alive but they can’t take care of him anymore. He has to live with a new family and treat them like that while knowing his real family is still alive and there’s nothing he can do to go back to the way it was.

Damian literally grew up in the fucking league of assassins, he was treated like a prince but also a weapon. He had to go from everyone treating him like a prince and that he’s above them or like a pet to be trained by his grandfather to being treated like any other person. He wasn’t given special treatment and favoritism by his new family and had to get used to that.

This isn’t even mentioning the culture shock Dick, Cass, Duke, and Damian would’ve experienced. I like to believe Bruce would’ve been a good enough parent to learn about their cultures but it’s different coming from a man who had no personal connections to your culture.

Anyway I just felt like ranting about this.

[kitkats-and-kittens]

The duality of Damian Wayne is something that keeps me up at night.

He’s 14 years old. Spent the first decade of his life learning how to murder people. Was convinced being the blood son would somehow put him above Bruce’s countless adopted kids. Tried to kill one of said adopted children. Was angry and bitter and mean for the first year in the manor. Was all in all an absolute ass.

He also loves animals and drawing, he found a cow and immediately decided he was a vegetarian. He has no social skills to speak of, talks likes he’s just emerged from a Shakespearian play, owns a small army of pets, cares way too much about people even after they let him down. Loves his Father and his mother despite their very conflicting ideologies, encourages both of his parents to do better for him and all in all is an absolute angel.

[dairy-farmer]

More DamiTim brain rot ❤️ This time Reverse Robins flavored!

The specifics of how and why the Joker ends up killing Tim is important - The important thing is that Tim comes back, it gets dipped in the magic mountain dew, and eventually comes back to Gotham as the Red Hood.

Now, Red Hood Tim is a bit different from Red Hood Jason in that his low self-esteem meant he didn't think Bruce saw him as a son and wasn't super surprised/devastated when Bruce didn't manage to save him or kill the Joker in revenge. Red Hood Tim still kills occasionally, when he thinks it's necessary, because well he doesn't blame Bruce for not being willing to become a killer, he still believes that the Joker and some other really really bad people do need to die. Red Hood Tim is also very protective of children, and sex workers, and the people of Crime Alley.

Damian, who is Nightwing of course, and Bruce are understandably a bit concerned about this new murderous vigilante/antihero but don't put as much focus on him as they do their other rogues. That is until Red Hood ends up running across and saving Robin Jason. Something about Red Hoods behavior and what Jason was able to tell him about his interactions with Red Hood piques Damian's curiosity. Eventually, after a few weeks of careful surveillance, stakeouts, and clue collecting Damian comes to the realization - or at least suspicion - that Red Hood is somehow Tim.

Damian is ecstatic at the prospect, because he had been secretly a little lotta bit in love / list / obsessed with Tim before he died and was devastated by his loss. Now that he's back however, Damian formulates a plan to keep Tim safe and make Tim his. Bruce of course doesn't realize who the Red Hood is and still plans to lock him up for murder if he ever catches him. It just so happens that Damian catches him first.

Tim wakes up in A room he doesn't recognize, with a collar fastened around his neck. There is more than enough chain to allow him to comfortably move anywhere in the room, which is set up like a loft apartment with every amenity he could need, in an open floor plan. Shortly after waking up Damian appears and explains what's going on; that since the Red Hood is a murderer, he needs to be locked away. But because the Red Hood is Tim, Damian could never allow him to be put in Arkham or Blackgate. So Damian took the liberty of creating a hidden and secure place to keep Tim where he will be both unable to kill anyone else and safe.

At first Damian doesn't do anything suspicious or creep on Tim... At least for the first few days. Then he starts to get more touchy with Tim - petting his head, touching his waist or back, trying to tangle their fingers together. After a few days he stops giving Tim clothes to wear, insisting that Tim is incredibly clever and could find a way to use them somehow to escape and that it's fine if he's naked because no one else can see him and the room is temperature controlled for maximum comfort.

Tim, of course, tries everything he can think of to escape or get Damian to let him go: He explains his plans and all the proof he has that he's been making a positive difference, promises to stop killing and being Red Hood, promises to leave, promises to go back home to the Manor - anything and everything he can think of. Damian will of course hear none of it: He finally has his beloved Timothy back, kept safe and sound and Damian's.

I haven't decided if it would be better for Tim to try and use sex as a way to get Damian to let him free, or for Damian to gently non-con Tim - kissing and touching him gently, reassuring Tim of his love and devotion, only using the softest and most non-appraisive materials during the times when he has to/wants to tie Tim down, all while Tim cries and pleads and begs Damian not to do this. Telling Damian that this is rape and that it makes Damian just as bad as a lot of the people he puts away, or that it's wrong because they are brothers (Even if only by adoption... Or maybe not even that. Maybe Tim was only officially Bruce's ward when he died!)

Really, just Reverse Robins Damian catching and keeping his beloved, miraculously resurrected Tim locked away where only he can see him and touch him and love him and never let anything harm him or take him away from Damian again.

damian softly nonconning resurrected tim!!!! believing its a second opportunity to be together since their time together was cut short so soon. convincing tim to let him touch him while telling him how much he loves him but still 'hurting' him even though damian doesn't think of what he's doing as "hurting" tim 😍😍😍😍

[aries-writingblog]

Enemy Fire: 22.5

Summary: There's a new kid in town, and she's got a city to usurp.

Pairing: Jason Todd × F. Reader

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings:

AN: photos are from Pinterest

YN readjusted her position on the overstuffed suede couch. All of the furniture in the Manor felt stiff, unused. Supremely uncomfortable, despite what Bruce had probably paid for the items.

The Wayne Manor was an interesting conundrum, in of itself.

With its steep staircases and grand, sweeping halls it was all regal. And in opposition to the Gothic exterior, the interior was brightly lit. Floor to ceiling windows, various chandeliers hung brilliantly from the ceilings and sconces decorated the walls.

What was interesting was the mash of art and photography.

What seemed to be authentic, antique paintings. Various portraits of, what appeared to be the Wayne family. Young Bruce and his parents, all smiling and sitting comfortably together.

All around the mansion, there were framed photographs of various stages in the lives of the Wayne children.

Bruce was obviously proud of his children— and even those who weren’t adopted had several photos in their home.

And the animals…

They also had their place in the hall of photographs.

A dog, cat, cow, three goldfish, and a newly acquired pet lizard.

All Damian’s. The boy seemed to have a knack and a liking for the critters. They were all well behaved animals, as well; YN could at least acknowledge his diligence in training the beasts. Even if he didn’t quite trust her enough yet to let them be around her.

A screech down the hall jolted her from her reading. Various other loud noises joined in after the scream— the cacophony fortunately headed down the hallway, not in her own direction.

She had found refuge in the library, away from all the noise and people. Wayne Manor could barely be categorized as crowded, but sometimes it still felt like it.

Jason stepped out of his shower, wrapping a towel around his waist.

He had barely slept since his arrival and it was beginning to wreak havoc on his systems.

Memories he hadn’t thought of in years flooded him every night; Terrors and nightmares kept him awake, when his recurrent insomnia wasn’t on duty.

Every corner he turned in the Mansion reminded him of a time before.

Before the pain and hurt.

Before he was the creature he had become.

He blinked, realizing he had been standing in a haze. Unfocused eyes stared back at him in the mirror before they trailed down to the patchwork of his chest and abdomen.

He clenched his jaw, teeth grinding in aggravation.

He was going to lose his fucking mind in this place.

Jason managed to escape his room, fully dressed. He hadn’t the faintest idea of what he was supposed to do, now that he and YN were a package deal on house arrest.

YN…

Fuck, he hadn’t even checked in with her for days. He had been so strung out, his mind had begun slipping.

Ever since the training session he had sat in on, something sat at the base of his skull. A wriggling, nagging little thing.

Doubt.

He knew it had to be doubt.

It was persistent; Asking if he had done the right thing. If, perhaps STAR labs would’ve been a better choice.

Because Jason had done exactly what Bruce had done.

He made a decision for her. Without her even knowing about an option to consent to. He had made an attempt on her life, for God’s sake.

He hadn’t even stopped to think about the impact of that choice.

What if she had actually died?

Gangsters were notoriously untrustworthy.

Why the fuck had he put her life in the hands of some… guy?

Why the fuck had he gotten involved with her in the first place? She was plenty capable of handling herself.

Why the fuck had he ever thought he could be a friend to someone?

Jason Todd was a cancer.

And he couldn’t ruin her. YN was this… magnificent warmth. He was going to bleed her dry, until she was as cold as he was.

“Are you okay?” YN asked.

Jason blinked. He realized, with a start that he had been blindly wandering the hallways.

“What?” He asked, voice hoarse and strained. He had heard words, but they had been muted— as if underwater.

YN arched a brow, her head dipping lower to catch his eyes.

“You’ve been standing in the doorway for like five minutes.” She explained.

“M’fine.” He brushed her off, leaning against the doorframe. Attempting to be casual. It was increasingly difficult, considering his previous train of thought— that seemed to stick like gum on his shoe. “You been training?”

He nodded to the darkening mark around her eye. Evidence that someone could land a punch on her.

YN clicked her tongue, annoyance settling over her. She guessed he had heard about the training session from earlier, where she handed Duke’s ass to him and slammed Cass to the mats.

She hadn’t known to take it easy— they had told her to give it her all, to see what they were against. To make it fair, she hadn’t used any supernatural abilities, it had only been hand to hand.

But truthfully, Jason hadn’t spoken to any of his siblings yet.

He was simply being observant.

“You here to tell me I’m too violent?” She grumbled, sinking deeper into the sofa, trying to use her book to guard her face.

He sighed, pushing his weight back away from the doorframe.

“You’re too reckless. Sometimes violence is a means to an end, it’s easier and more effective.” Jason explained, moving further into the room. He stopped at the end on the couch, his knee brushing the bottom of her socked foot. “But being hostile and violent without a plan never ends well.”

“I plan stuff.” She grumbled, unhappily. He snorted.

“Not a good plan if it ends with improvise, or if you panic halfway through.”

“Jerk.”

Jason smirked.

Maybe he could bask in her warmth without leeching it. Maybe there was hope.

“What are you reading today, Tails?” He asked, attempting to peek through her fingers to the title.

YN dropped the book to her lap, her pen jotting down small words in the margin.

“Some idiot put these annotations in and they’re all wrong. Going through and correcting them.” She explained, finishing up her writing before picking the book back up.

Jason squinted, focusing in on the small swathe of book title he could read.

It looked familiar. Almost like…

He snapped forward, snatching the book out of her hands. She cried out in anger, confusion on her features.

“Those are my annotations.” Jason flipped through several pages. All the writing was in his neat penmanship, though now there was accompanying writing along side his. His was written in black ink, hers in purple.

Nearly all the purple contradicted the black, not to mention the question marks beside some of his words.

“Oh. You got them all wrong.” YN corrected, peeking over the top of the book.

Jason scowled, snapping it closed.

“That’s not possible. It was my own interpretation.” He argued.

YN shrugged, leaning back into the couch again.

“Your interpretation sucks.”

“You suck.”

“Your mom.”

Jason laughed, a haughty sound as he propped his hands on his hips.

“Jokes on you, my mom is dead.”

“What the fuck?”

Both Jason and YN’s heads snapped to the doorway, where the voice emanated from. Dick stood in blatant confusion at the predicament he arrived into.

YN leaned forward and snatched the book from his grasp, settling back into her place comfortably. A grin on her lips.

Jason frowned— both at her and his brother.

His eyes narrowed as he straightened his spine, his chest becoming more broad. Unconsciously, he leaned to the side, slightly; Just enough to begin blocking Dick’s view of YN.

“What do you want?” Jason groused.

Dick took the opportunity to step into the room further, as if he had been invited.

Jason clenched his fists.

In his visions of warmth, he had never imagined sharing. Much less with Grayson.

“I was going to ask YN if she had eaten dinner yet.” Dick offered, attempting to peek around the mountainous form of his brother.

Jason narrowed his eyes.

“What’s it to you?”

“Being friendly.” Dick shrugged.

“What for?”

“Why are you giving me the third degree?”

YN lifted a brow, her head tilting to see around Jason. The shit eating grin on Dick’s face told her enough.

Jason only bulked up; His chest and shoulders expanding. A sneer on his face.

“Was that a fucking pun— I’ll put a bullet in your ankle.”

YN heaved a dramatic sigh, slamming the book closed and leaving it on the table. She stood and stretched her shoulders out— arms rising above her head. Her shirt lifted, revealing her hips, where her pants were riding low.

Jason physically stopped himself from reaching out and pulling her shirt back down.

A violent shade of green tinged his sight, staking through his heart. Dissatisfied that Dick was able to bear witness.

YN didn’t seem to care that either were in the room with her.

“I’m already booked with Cass, Steph, and Barbara. Thanks anyway, Dick.” YN bumped Jason out of the way with her shoulder. He barely moved. “See you around, loser.”

She disappeared out of the doorway and almost instantly became untraceable. Jason didn’t know how she kept managing to do that— he was able to hear a mouse sneeze from two rooms over. Yet, he could never hear her footsteps or her heartbeat.

It was as infuriating as she was.

“Are they forming a girl group?” Dick asked, pointing after her. He frowned. “Dammit, why does she get accepted into girl’s nights and I don’t?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in Bludhaven?” Jason asked, irritated by his brother’s increased presence. “Maybe have a job and shit?”

Dick frowned. He and Jason hadn’t been on the best of terms since the arrest went down. He couldn’t blame him for the betrayal he must have felt.

He did wish that Jason wasn’t such a vindictive personality.

That he would willingly sit and chat instead of keeping everything pent up until it exploded.

“I’m here for the weekend.” Dick answered, simply. He turned it on Jason, eyes wide and innocent. “Why are you still here?”

“I’m making sure you don’t talk YN into signing her soul over to you freaks.” Jason griped, hands shoved into his pockets and chin tilted up. Jaw clenched.

Dick’s brow furrowed.

“What?” He asked, meeting his brother’s sharp gaze. “The Titans— you heard that conversation?”

Jason’s eyes narrowed. What conversation? He had already tried recruiting her?

What the hell was his game?

“I don’t care what you’re trying to accomplish,” He started, his voice low enough to sound calm, but still threatening. “I don’t care if you think she could save all of Gotham City— or the tristate area, or the country. Stop with the hero shit.”

“What if it’s something she wants?” Dick countered, almost instantly. Jason’s jaw clenched tighter. He had just preached to himself about loosening that obsessive, possessive grip. Here he was: breaking it again. “You can’t force her to make a decision you like just because you’re in love with her.”

Oh…

Oh, no…

Fuck.

Fuck— what if Dick was right?

No; No, Dick was wrong. He didn’t love her. He barely even knew her. These past months had been acquaintanceship— strained friendship at best.

Dick was talking out of his league again.

“Shut the hell up.” Jason rumbled, his chest tingling with the building chaos.

“You can’t even admit it to yourself.” Dick scoffed, lips pulling into a deprecating, half smile.

“There’s nothing to admit.”

“You’ve frozen your heart for so long you can’t even thaw it if you wanted to.”

“I said, shut up!”

Jason lunged forward, wrapping his arm around Dick’s throat. He didn’t falter, however, and immediately clawed at his much larger brother’s arms. Managing to wriggle out of his grasp, Dick stumbled back.

His expression read shock. He knew that Jason had been repressing everything, but he didn’t know that he had been denying it existed.

To Jason’s credit, he had a tinge of regret in his eyes. Anger still clouded the bicolored irises, leaving his face creased with the violent streaks of rage.

But his hands started trembling.

He didn’t even think— he had just attacked.

He attacked his brother, again.

Jason backed away, nervousness beginning to settle in his bones. He cast one final glare in Dick’s direction.

“Stay away from her.” He warned, shoving past the eldest Wayne.

Dick tripped over his feet, the force of Jason’s push harsher than he had anticipated.

He was in for an extremely rude awakening, later; Dick unfortunately, knew the realization was going to be a bitch. And even though he was being a first class asshole recently, Jason would calm down after a few days.

He just needed to settle.

The dust needed to clear in his head before he could see his heart.

[jtthompson]

This is SO meaningful to me, genuinely and earnestly. The amount of fics I read where the reader DOES NOT want a baby, wants an abortion, but at the last second they decide to not go through with it. At this point "abortion" in a fic means discussions of abortion, because it. Doesn't. Ever. Happen!!!

It's like when a fic mentions "pale skin", it just snaps me out of the moment. (Hm, yes my pale skin🤳🏾🤚🏾). It's like a dissonant note in the middle of a song, and you've gotta keep going KNOWING it's already...tainted isn't quite the word. It won't be perfect, that wrong note sticks with you.

That's what I feel when a reader goes from "i have to end this pregnancy" to fucking painting a new nursery in what feels like moments. They mentally list the reasons they cannot have a baby then they set them ALL aside within a chapter.

I don't want kids. If I ever do, adoption is great. But no children are growing inside of me then being brutally pushed out after MONTHS (then comes post partum! But also I'm black, so like...am I even surviving the birth?-Folks still die giving birth, but legitimately rates that BIPOC folks are dying, are different than white folks.)

The only time I had a pregnancy scare (pfft, fucking head empty ass, my periods had been irregular nearly my whole life to that point, with skipped months not being weird. Me being "late" was the norm!!), I recalled the Planned Parenthood that my bus to work goes by and how I've never seen protestors outside. I was looking up sick/vacation days and starting to plan how I could end a pregnancy. It wasn't ever a question. It was thee next step.

Not everyone "agrees with it", but abortion is still an option! Even if made illegal, that just means back alley abortions, harking back to decades past. Though they never truly fully stopped.

A reader who makes the choice I would!?? Omfggggg. And I read the Bucky one too and there might also be a Steve one!? Like, GIRL (exclamation in a gender neautral kinda way), MY FAVES!? MY MAINS, are out here supporting readers' right to choose!! How upset they got realizing reader thought this would change their relationship. They're upset because reader is upset AND because not supporting reader wasn't even a thought!! So the fear and worry, while boyfriends' are like, "woow!! Feel your feelings but like?? I'm in love with you?? And it's your body. Of course I'm not upset!!".

FUCK, even Damian's appearance. I just KNEW this was when it would turn. Bruce and Alfred would find out and then that's when the sun would shine just so and the reader would suddenly want a child. BUT INSTEAD, THAT LIL ANGERY ROBIN BROUGHT COOKIES AND A CAT. HE SHOWED HE CARED WHILE STILL GIVING THEM ROOM!! HE BROUGHT HER A FUCKING CAT, ugh that's so meaningful especially from DAMIAN. He loves his pets. Damn.

So THIS! IS SO GOOD!!

Also my Capricorn moon ass when Jason started planning logistics 🥵 OOF.

Anyways, this was SO SO SO SO lovely!

Also just the softness and realness you write with!! LOVING your work. Omfg.

my body is a cage.

ObNeSummary: Y/N’s worst nightmare has become a reality. Her only saving grace is that she doesn’t have to do it alone. 

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4,000+ [One Shot]

Warning: Feminist Issues, Adult/Mature Themes (NOT smut)

Y/N could feel her heart start racing faster as she studied the doctor’s office. Now she was starting to sweat as well. 

Her doctor were running late and that meant Y/N was stuck looking at the nondescript walls and smelling that sterile scent for 20 minutes. It felt like an hour. 

It was just a follow-up appointment. There was no bad news expected to be given. But that didn’t stop Y/N’s anxiety. 

Y/N finally gave up on trying to calm herself down through breathing and reached down to grab her cellphone out of her purse. 

There was a two text message notifications: one from her mom and one from Jason. 

She opened the one from Jason. 

– Good luck at your appointment today. Remember to breathe. 

Y/N smirked at the message. Jason knew how stressed out Y/N got for literally any type of doctor’s appointments. Even if it was just your usual checkup – like today – it caused her anxiety for some reason. 

Jason must’ve sent it right before passing out after patrol. 

Keep reading

[batfam-stuff-posts-0]

Dick: So, Damian is no longer allowed to take the trash out at night. Bruce: Why? Dick: Because I've caught him trying to train raccoons to fight five times in a row. Damian, arms crossed and pouting: You'll be thanking me when the third raccoon battalion saves your ass.

[burningrosesbythesea]

The one where we get some flashbacks :D

beginning

previous

Words: 1941

“The manor looked significantly different when multiple people inhabited it,” Milo noted as he roamed the halls. 

The hallway felt familiar, but it felt off. Milo had grown accustomed to his grandfather’s barren and dusty manor, with every fancy piece of furniture covered by a white cloth. This hallway felt lively, filled with memories of children running and laughing— and probably the memories of chasing each other with dangerous weapons. 

Situations like these made Milo wonder what really happened between his father and grandfather. Why did Damian Al Ghul-Wayne return to the League? 

When he first saw Bruce Wayne without the cowl, his heart nearly skipped a beat because he looked nearly identical to his Baba (er– well, technically his Baba looked nearly identical to his grandfather).

“Okay, I think I’m lost.”

He sighed in defeat as he looked around the hallway; all he wanted was a glass of water! Apparently, he didn’t know Wayne Manor as well as he thought he did. 

///////

“Grandpa?” Milo called out, wandering around the empty manor. For an old man, he sure knew how to move around quickly. It’s not like he wanted to be here in the first place, but Otou-san couldn’t take him to work and he was too sick to attend school. Aunt Cass left the country for a mission, Uncle Duke was too busy with work, and Tim’s family was currently on vacation. 

So that left Grandpa Bruce in charge of taking care of him. Not that Milo minded, but his grandpa brooded all the time, stuck in the past. Also, the manor was too damn cold all the time. 

“Woof!” 

“Ace!” Milo squealed, wiping his runny nose with his sleeve. “There you are! I was getting worried. Can you take me to Grandpa please?” He approached the large dog and gave him a few loving pets. 

Ace appeared to like that and nuzzled his leg before seemingly gesturing for Milo to follow him. It only took a few minutes for the large dog to lead him to the kitchen; Bruce stood before the stove squinting at an empty can of tomato soup while a small pot simmered. 

“Grandpa?” Milo chirped before loudly sneezing into his elbow. 

“Ah, Milo. I was about to find you,” he grunted, setting the can down. 

“What are you doing?” He wondered, taking note of the tomato smell in the air. 

Bruce grabbed a bowl from the cupboard (which was faded and cracked with age) and set it down on the counter beside him. “Making you lunch, I figured you might be hungry.” 

He approached the counter and grabbed the can, “Instant Soup.” Milo read. 

“I can’t cook. Been relying on Cass, Duke, or Tim for actual meals. Sorry kid.” 

The 9-year-old shrugged, “That’s fine Grandpa. It’s the thought that counts.”

Bruce grunted again before looking at him, “How are you feeling now?”

“Better, my throat still hurts though.”

His calloused hand gently touched Milo’s forehead to check his temperature, “You feel less warm than last time. I think your fever is breaking.” Bruce returned to the soup and turned off the heat. 

“Do you make instant soup often?” the boy asked, walking to the silverware drawer and fishing out a small spoon. 

His grandfather responded with another grunt, which Milo took as a yes. He sat down at the dusty table and Bruce set a hot bowl of soup in front of him. He studied the man in front of him, down to the large scar that ran down his face. 

“You look like your father, you know.” Bruce mused, leaning against his cane. 

“I know,” Milo chirped, “Baba says I look a lot like Otou-san.”

The older man smirked and took a seat next to Milo, “I was talking about Damian, you two have the same look in your eyes.”

He felt his flush, “Oh. I didn’t know that.” 

“Does Damian tell you that you look like Akira a lot?”

“Yeah, he does.” Milo blew at his soup and took a tentative sip. “He says I’m lucky I take after Otou-san. Cindy’s the one who takes after Baba even though she’s adopted.” 

Bruce’s brow furrowed, “Really? Why’s that, Milo?”

“Cindy likes fighting, and she’s really good at it! She sees Baba’s vision for the League and wants to take over once Baba thinks she’s ready.”

“Ah, I see.” 

“I don’t wanna fight the way Baba wants me to fight though,” Milo continued. “I wanna be a doctor when I grow up.”

His grandfather almost seemed amused at his words, “My father was a doctor too before–” Bruce shook his head, “never mind. I think I still have some of his stuff in the attic if you want to look at them.”

That immediately caught Milo’s attention, “Really? Do you mean that?!” 

“Of course, I just need to rummage around that dusty old attic for a few hours until I find the right box.”

“Shway! Thank you, Grandpa!” Milo squealed. He wanted to hug his grandfather on the spot, but a coughing fit told him that wasn’t such a wise idea, to begin with, if he didn’t want to get Bruce sick as well.

“Take it easy,” the older man advised, reaching out to ruffle his spiky black hair. 

///////

By some miracle, Milo wandered into the kitchen without setting off any boobytraps— which is a huge accomplishment by the way. Now all he needed was to find a cupboard…

. . . 

If someone had told little Cindy that she would one day become a vigilante, little Cindy would have laughed at their face. She was going to be the next Demon’s Head! She was going to be her father’s successor!

Yet here she was, decades into the past when her father was 12 and Aunt Cass was still Orphan, as a vigilante. Cindy wondered if young Damian would be terrified knowing that he eventually returns to his roots…

“No,” Cindy internally scolded herself, “Don’t think about that. As long as I don’t mention too many things about the past, Baba will never find out.”

Oh, she hated keeping secrets, and she didn’t know how long she’d be stuck in the past. The mere thought of being stuck here forever and perhaps ruining the timeline shook Cindy to her very core. She can’t risk that! She can’t risk the lives of other innocent children because she can’t keep her big mouth shut…

///////

Lightning flashed across the sky in a jagged line, cutting through the inky black clouds like a knife. Rain pounded against the window as if the water wanted to break the glass. The wind howled violently, the fire crackled relentlessly, and branches slammed against the manor on occasion. 

14-year-old Cindy yawned and lowered her pencil onto the carpeted floor below her. She reached out to pet Ace, who decided to act as her personal heater for the night. “I guess I’m not allowed to patrol tonight, huh?” 

Bruce grunted, “Cass wouldn’t want you patrolling in this weather to begin with.” He turned to her, “So might as well study up for that big test you have tomorrow.”

“But that’s so boring!” Cindy whined, rolling onto her back in a dramatic fashion. “I already know everything I need to know!”

“Oh really? What’s the first 100 digits of PI?” Bruce challenged, narrowing his blue eyes at her. 

Cindy coughed awkwardly, “Okay, maybe not *everything*, but in my defense I’m not going to be using PI to solve any cases.”

“Better to be safe than sorry.” 

Ace nuzzled against Cindy as if he were trying to comfort her.

“How come you and Baba stopped talking?” Cindy asked, returning to stroking Ace’s black fur. “I know Otou-san knows, but he won’t tell me; Baba always ignores my questions revolving around you.”

Bruce sighed, “It’s a long story Cindy, but to sum it up, Damian and I didn’t see eye-to-eye anymore.”

“Well, that sums things up.” the girl scoffed, “That leaves way more questions than answers.” 

“Well, you better figure it out, Cindy.” 

“I’d rather take my chances on patrol.” 

“Oh really?” he raised his eyebrow skeptically.

Cindy sulked with annoyance, “Okay, not really. I’ll go back to studying I guess.” 

Bruce grunted, obviously pleased that he won an argument with his 14-year-old granddaughter. 

“How does it feel knowing that your son married a retired villain?”

“Surprisingly, not surprised.”

“Huh. What about knowing that you had grandkids?”

“Okay, well that was a surprise.” Bruce chuckled, fondness flashing in his eyes; a rare occurrence for sure. “But I was even more surprised with the fact that I eventually got to be a part of your life.” 

“I love you too, Gramps.” Cindy teased, watching how Bruce scoffed and (unsuccessfully) suppressed a smile. 

///////

Cindy turned to her aunt’s sleeping figure beside her and studied how peaceful she looked for once. No hard lines and harsh scars strewn across her face. Cassandra Cain was so different in the past before she took on the mantle of Batman/Batwoman. Way before Gotham grew into an unmanageable city. 

Cindy let herself relax and allowed sleep to overcome her. 

. . . 

“Yeah, I know. Please don’t do anything rash— I– Dami, listen— Yes, I know.” Akira sighed, “Don’t enter Gotham in a bloodthirsty rage, please… I love you too, Darin.” 

Damian hung up the phone, leaving Akira all alone on the balcony of Tim’s penthouse. His gut knotted up with anxiety with the idea of Damian storming Gotham with an army of assassins behind him to avenge their possibly dead children. 

“No,” Akira thought, shaking his head, “Minoru, Cindy, and Terry are fine. They have to be– Oh shit, what am I going to tell Terry’s mother? Fuck–”

He pinched the bridge of his nose to alleviate the oncoming headache that would surely keep him up all night. As much as loved Damian, he did wish that his husband wouldn’t be so downright bloodthirsty. Of course, that might be a side-effect of the Lazurus Pit–

A sharp squeal originating from the penthouse caught Akira’s attention. “THEY’RE ALIVE!” Matt shrieked, followed by some crashing. 

Akira had never entered a room so quickly before, “Alive?! Are they okay?!” 

Tim groaned as he collected the scattered papers from his upturned desk— possibly the courtesy of an overly excited Matt. Stephanie hauled the boy up by his armpits, clearly amused, “Tim found a flaw in the laser.”

“The math used to create the beam was absolutely horrendous,” Tim chimed in, “The fuckers couldn’t even add up the numbers correctly.” 

“Meaning?” Akira pressed as he helped Tim clean up his study. 

“DOVE didn’t create a laser, they created a portal. To where? I don’t know, but they’re not dead; well, I hope so. Anything could have gone wrong.”

“Tim!” Stephanie scoffed, “Not helping!” 

“Guys!” Matt cut it, preventing the third argument of the night, “How are we going to get Terry, Cin, and Milo back?” 

Akira completely forgot about that. 

“I doubt we can create another laser,” Tim said, getting up and tossing a stack of papers onto one of his shelves. “Too much money and time, plus we have to take the fact that the laser was powered by radioactive materials; and honestly, I don’t want to deal with the paperwork.” 

“So how do we get them back?!” Matt wailed. His hands flew up to his black hair in distress. 

Clearly, Matthew was distraught.

“I don’t know,” Tim sighed, rubbing his temples. “Magic, maybe.”

Tim’s tone implied that he was being sarcastic, but a lightbulb went off in Akira’s head. 

“I think I know a guy,” Akira announced, a wide grin spreading across his face. 

“Oh god.” Tim groaned. “Anyone but him.”

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Dead Man Walking

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/AmBWsr2

by Raven_Blanchard

He is tired. He just wants to rest.

But Bruce Wayne and his army of children can't seem to stop stalking him. Or trying to.

...Oh no.

He's seen how this goes. How this went. Bloke's got like a million adopted children. Harry is very patently not interested (and not to mention much older than the guy).

Why does this man want him anyway? Harry is very very normal and uninteresting, thank you very much!

(TLDR: MOD!Harry is a bit too mopey even for Gotham, and certain Bats have taken notice.)

Words: 995, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, DCU, Batman - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Major Character Death

Categories: Gen

Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Barbara Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Damian Wayne's Pets, John Constantine

Relationships: Hermione Granger & Harry Potter

Additional Tags: Harry Potter Needs a Hug, Harry Potter Needs Therapy, Master of Death Harry Potter, Immortal Harry Potter, Ghost Hermione Granger, Batfamily (DCU), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Depression, Sad Harry Potter, No Beta We Die Like Sirius

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/AmBWsr2

[finemeal]

wrote a fic inspired by this art piece:

Danny isn't quite sure where he fit in the family yet. It had been a wild few weeks. 

His parent’s had … well, they aren't going to be hunting Danny anymore. And Jazz? She is studying at Gotham U at the moment. She hadn't been able to take him in, she couldn’t afford to. But he had wanted to be close to her. 

So, he had begged and pleaded with the state to not send him away. Amity Park was in New Jersey. Place him close to Gotham so he can be close to the last family member he has left. Please.  

They did. Somehow, some way, they did. 

Honestly, Danny hadn't even know that Bruce Wayne was fostering at the moment. The man already had a full house, more children than any sane person could count, why would he foster any more?

Danny is grateful, though. Mr. Wayne — “I told you, call me Bruce.” — has been so nice to Danny ever since he arrived. 

And the mansion? It's huge! It's beautiful! It is, “Amazing!” 

Bruce had introduced Danny to his other children. All a varying amount of excited. Dick had given Danny a huge hug, telling him, “If you ever need us to smack Bruce over the head, let me know! Also, if you need to get away for a night, just say the word. I’ll come by.” 

Damian, however, had glared daggers at Danny. And, Danny had been pretty sure the kid had daggers on him. If the glint of steel was anything to go by. 

Generally, though, they all had welcomed Danny in. Had told him, if he needed anything, to let them know. Danny had said that he would, you know, like a liar. 

He already had felt like he was intruding, he hadn’t wanted to ask for anything. So he didn’t. 

Yet, he found things he needed just … happening. Regardless if he had said anything or not. 

Danny woke up from a nightmare? Well, Bruce had just so happened to be walking past with some of Danny’s favorite tea. And would he mind joining Bruce for a three am stroll? Just to clear your head, you know? 

He was missing Jazz and really wanted to see her? Hey, Duke was going to Gotham U to tour the school today, Danny would you like to join? We can stop by and visit your sister on the way! Oh, what, no tour today? Silly Duke, he must have gotten the dates mixed up. Oh well, they were already here, might as well visit his sister anyway!

The teenager was feeling cooped up and overwhelmed? Damian insisted Danny help him with his chores of taking care of his pets. Danny couldn’t be a freeloader, after all. And, well, Danny had to admit that visiting Batcow always made him feel better. 

Stuff like that just … kept happening. And Danny wasn’t sure what to do about it. 

To be completely honest, he still doesn’t. He doesn’t know where he fits in. Doesn’t know if he should allow himself to get attached. What if they get ripped away from him? Or he gets ripped away from them? Will Bruce even officially adopt him? Or is he meant to just be an outsider, only able to get glimpses of something he wants more than anything. 

That’s led him to right now. 

Right now, he’s hoping for a sign. For any sign. That he belongs here. That he’s wanted.

There’s a knock on his door. 

“Hello?” Danny calls, shifting towards the edge of the bed. 

“It’s Dick, Danny. Can I come in?” 

Danny smiles slightly. 

“Sure, it’s unlocked.” 

The door opens. Dick walks through it. 

Dick’s got his usual casual grin on his face, but there’s a question in his expression. Hope? Maybe? Danny feels like he can almost taste something in the air. He’s just not sure what.  

“Hey Danny,” Dick greets, walking over to where Danny’s sitting. “I was wondering if you wanted to play a game.” 

“A game?” Danny asks, turning so he can face Dick. 

“Yeah!” Dick grins, sitting down. “Jason, Tim, and I are gonna play Clue. I figured I’d invite you to our mini family game night!” 

Danny smiles. Family game night. The words make his chest feel light. 

“Sounds like fun, I’ll join.” 

Dick grins at Danny’s response, practically jumping off the bed as he tugs Danny along excitedly. 

“Fantastic! Just know, Tim and Jason are little … competitive when it comes to playing. And we can get a little intense. So, don’t want to scare you off or anything! But prepare yourself.” 

Danny almost snorts at that. Danny’s played games with Jazz before. With Sam and Tucker. He understands getting a bit intense with games.

“No worries, I can’t play Monopoly with Sam and Tuck anymore because they almost knocked each other’s teeth out over it.” 

Dick laughs at that as they head down the stairs. 

“Yeah, sounds like our family,” Dick comments, smiling brightly. 

Danny feels a slight relief at Dick not prodding. Danny knows he doesn’t share much about his personal life with them. It’d be easy to ask more about Sam and Tucker. But he doesn’t. It makes Danny feel lighter. 

Walking through a doorway, Danny finds himself in some sort of family room. Tim and Jason are already there, setting the board up. 

“I call being Miss Scarlet!” Danny cheers, running towards the table. 

Then, he’s suddenly confused. 

“Uhh,” Danny says dumbly, brows furrowing as he looks down. 

Instead of the clue game he’s used to, this one has been … modified. It’s an alternate version of the game. 

There’s different places on the board than he’s used to. The theater, the park, and the asylum are just a few. 

Characters are different too. He looks down at the board, and sees, “START BATMAN” in front of him. There are different characters around the rest of the board too. Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing. 

Picking up a weapon, he moves it between his fingers. A batarang. 

“Is this … Batman Clue?” 

Danny turns towards Dick who’s smiling at him. 

“Yep!” Dick states, patting Danny’s shoulder lightly before he sits down. “I call Robin!” 

Tim groans loudly, wrinkling his nose at Dick. 

“I’m always Robin!” Tim states, frown deep on his face. 

“Exactly, but I was Robin first,” Dick retorts, a knowing smirk on his face. 

Robin first? Dick probably meant that he used to play as Robin in this game before Tim joined the family. 

“I call Batgirl!” Jason says quickly. 

“Uhh,” Danny scrambles, looking down. “I call Batman?” 

Jason huffs out a small laugh at Danny’s hesitance, but hands him the corresponding yellow piece for him to place on his board. 

“I’ll be Alvin Draper, I guess,” Tim grumbles, and Jason laughs … too hard at that. 

Was there some sort of inside joke he was missing here? Probably. They’ve known each other a lot longer than Danny has. It makes sense that they’d form inside jokes that Danny wouldn’t quite understand. 

“So, Danny, since this is your first time playing Clue with us. Here are some house rules,” Dick starts as Jason and Tim finish placing character pieces in their spots. “So, we have the standard rules, of course.”

Danny nods, sitting in his seat as Tim hands him a note card and a red pencil. Danny nods in thanks as he puts them where he wants them. 

“We’ll roll to see who goes first. Whoever rolls highest starts, and then we move clockwise. Everyone will have an even amount of cards, the excess will be turned over in the corner so everyone can see. And, at the end of the game, we have a few … special rules.” 

Danny raises a brow at Dick, intrigued. Jason and Tim look sheepish, Tim rubbing the back of his neck as Jason stares down at his note card. Ah, so they were the reason for the rules, got it. 

“Before you make a guess, you have to declare that you’re making an accusation. You have to get onto the center, before you can guess. And, you write down your guess before you look at the cards. If you’re right, you show us what you wrote down. If you’re wrong, you lose and put the cards back. You reveal your own cards and the rest of us keep playing, got it?” 

Danny nods. 

“Got it.” 

Dick nods, smiling. 

“Good, okay, I’ll roll first.” 

Dick grabs the dice, shaking them in his hands. When he releases them, they land on five and three respectively. 

“Nice, good start!” 

Dick hands the dice to Danny. He shakes them in his hands, a little nervously. Releasing them, they almost trip over each other on the board. 

A one and a six. Not as good as Dick’s, but pretty good. 

Tim grabs them next, yawning as he releases the dice. Two sixes. 

Danny’s eyebrows raise slightly as he looks at Tim. 

Tim’s not looking at Danny, though. He’s looking at Jason, and smirking. 

Jason just sticks his tongue out at Tim and snatches the dice up. 

“Just because you rolled two sixes doesn’t mean you’ll go first, Timmers. Maybe I’ll roll double sixes too,” Jason snarks, the dice releasing from his hands. 

Danny watches with bated breath, almost wishing to see him tie with Tim. Part of Danny thinks it’d be funny. Dick wasn’t lying when he said they were competitive. 

Alas, the dice roll and they land on one and five. 

Tim laughs loudly as Jason groans, putting his face in his hands. 

“Alright, alright. Tim, you’ll be going first,” Dick interrupts the taunting in the way only an experienced eldest child can. 

Dick picks up the character cards and holds them face down at Danny. 

“Go ahead Danny, pick our murderer,” Dick says in a spooky voice as he wiggles his eyebrows. 

Danny rolls his eyes, laughing slightly as he grabs a card and sets it face down in front of him. Dick grins, setting the cards down before picking up the weapon cards. 

“And you, Timmy, you decide what he does it with.” 

Tim sighs, putting on a front of being annoyed. But he’s smiling slightly as he draws, setting the card down in the middle face down. 

Dick grabs the last set, and turns to Jason. 

“Last but not least, Jason, show us where—” 

“Oh shut up Dickie,” Jason interrupts, picking a card quickly and putting it on top of the card Tim chose. 

Danny moves his own card so it sits with the others, watching Dick smile at Jason as he sets the location cards down. 

Grabbing the envelope, he puts the cards they all chose in it, angling them carefully so no one could see. Then, he places it in the middle. 

Danny watches, almost mesmerized as Dick shuffles the remaining cards. His hands move so quickly, Danny can barely keep up. 

When he’s satisfied with his shuffling, he begins to deal the cards out. Starting with Tim. 

Again, he moves with grace and ease Danny didn’t know one could move with. Did Dick used to work at a casino or something? 

Shortly, there are four cards face down in front of him, and two cards left over. Dick turns them face up, placing them on the corner of the board between Tim and Jason.

Danny marks “E” on the Bomb and Asylum on his sheet, watching as everyone else moves to make similar notes. 

But, Danny also notes how cautiously they guard their note cards. As if to stop everyone from looking. Danny decides to also guard his note card vigorously. If they’re as competitive as Dick warned, and as they’ve shown so far, it’s only the smart thing to do. 

Then, Danny looks at his own cards. 

Ruins, Warehouse, Umbrella, Grapple. 

Danny makes squares on his note sheet and fills them in carefully. 

Looking up, he sees everyone is watching him. Likely trying to see where his pencil was placed as he jotted down his information. Danny grins at them. This will be an interesting game for sure. 

They’re a few rounds in when Danny notices Dick begins to twitch. His leg bounces, his face contorts oddly, and his finger keeps tapping. 

“Well, I’m going to say it was Nightwing,” Tim moves the game piece, “in the Warehouse, with the Batphone.” Grabbing the batphone, he places it on its spot. 

Tim looks at Jason, who rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He turns to Dick, he slides a card face down across to Tim. Danny looks to try and see where Tim marks it on his sheet, but he can’t tell with the way Tim is shielding his notes. 

Danny sighs and makes a light note on his sheet on two of those cards. 

Jason goes, moving his piece closer to the Warehouse. Then, it’s Dick’s turn. 

Danny watches as Dick twitches and then rolls the dice. 

Dick makes it into the Ruins. 

“I think it was Nightwing, with the Grapple in the Ruins.” 

Danny shows Dick the Grapple card. Finding a location is the hardest, after all. He doesn’t want to make it too easy on Dick. 

“Good, good. Okay. Your turn Danny,” Dick says rushedly, leg tapping loudly now.

“Dude,” Jason pipes up, raising a brow. “What’s your deal? Why are you twitching so much?” 

Dick tries to wave Jason off, but Danny’s also meeting Dick’s gaze. He can tell Tim is looking at Dick too. 

“Fine, fine. I just … have to pee. But if I go you guys will learn information I’ll miss out on!” 

Tim rolls his eyes, but his grin is sharp. Predatory. 

“Go on, Dick. Go use the bathroom. After all, you should know better than anyone how dangerous it can be to hold it.” 

“Plus,” Jason adds onto Tim’s statement, “you’re being annoying as fuck and I can’t concentrate with you shaking like a chihuahua over there.” 

Dick rolls his eyes, but Danny does his best to give Dick puppy dog eyes. 

“Please Dick? We promise we won’t play without you,” Danny almost sings at him. 

“Tim and Jason will—”

“But I’m next, Dick. And I won’t go until you come back,” Danny promises, holding a pinkie out. 

Dick smiles gratefully at Danny, linking his own pinkie with Danny’s. What Dick doesn’t see, though, is Danny’s other fingers are crossed in his lap. Danny is a new player here, and Dick doesn’t know how he plays. 

Shooting up, Dick practically sprints out of the room and to one of the bathrooms. 

Tim and Jason groan, looking bored already. 

Danny grabs the dice. 

Their eyes widen slightly, Tim’s brows furrowing in an unasked question. Danny raises his crossed fingers, grinning. 

Jason laughs heartily, almost wheezing. 

“Well played, newbie! Well played,” Jason laughs, causing Danny’s grin to grow. “You fit in just fine.” 

Danny ducks his head as he blushes slightly, rolling the dice quickly. 

Four. Just enough spaces to squeeze into the Longue. 

“Alright, so—”

By the time Dick gets back from the bathroom, Danny has ruled out the Longue as Tim’s, and Tim has left the Warehouse and is making his way towards the Park. Jason is sitting at the Warehouse, having moved Batman there along with a crowbar. 

Dick claps his hand as he sits down, smiling at Danny in gratitude before looking at the board. His face twists in shock as he realizes he was played. 

“But you, you pinkie promised!” Dick guffaws, looking gutted as he stares at Danny.

Danny grins widely as he holds up crossed fingers. 

“Should’ve checked before you shook, Dick,” Danny teases. 

Dick moans as the rest of them laugh at his misery. 

That is, well, before Jason nudges at Dick and gestures at the Warehouse. 

“Got anything for me Dickie?” 

Dick shakes his head, still whining as he puts his head in his hands. 

Danny, however, shows Jason the Warehouse card. 

As Dick rolls, Danny notices some markings on the board. He hadn’t really noticed before this, too many things happening at once. 

“Hey,” Danny starts, squinting at the board on his side. “Why does it say ‘No Tims Allowed’ on the Ruins room?” 

Everyone pauses, the only sound is the dice rolling across the board. 

“Uhh,” Tim starts, mouth opening and closing. 

“I wrote that because Tim used to fool around that area,” Jason states. “One time he got injured real bad, so, ya know.”

Dick jerks suddenly on Danny’s right, face twisted oddly. Jason’s staring at Dick directly. Danny can tell they’re having that moment siblings have sometimes. Not quite silently communicating but also … silently communicating. 

Danny squints at both of them. What the hell are they—

“So,” Dick interrupts, “I think it was Robin, with the Batphone, in the Longue.” 

Dick smiles at Danny, his lip twitching slightly and the grin too wide. 

“Sorry, don’t have anything for you,” Danny answers the silent question, squinting slightly at Dick. 

Tim hands Dick a card, and Danny looks at the board. There’s … a lot of markings on the board actually. He can’t make them all out, some of them are at odd angles, others are blocked from sight. But … there’s a lot of markings on here for some reason. 

Danny wouldn’t be so suspicious if—

“Earth to Danny,” Jason says, waving a hand as Dick nudges him with his foot under the table. 

“Huh?” Danny splutters, looking up. 

“You’re turn,” Jason replies, raising a brow at him and tilting his head slightly.

“Right,” Danny says, clearing his throat as he rolls the dice. 

It’s probably nothing. He won’t worry about it. 

He moves his character towards the Harbor. 

At first, Danny doesn’t realize that the end of the game has come. Not until he sees Tim move his character towards the middle. 

He’s unnaturally silent as he moves his piece, eyes shifting around as if checking to see if anyone notices … something. 

“Oh my god,” Danny blurts, eyes widening as Tim’s eyes meet his. “He’s going for the middle! He knows what it is.”

Jason’s head whips towards Tim’s, eyes squinting. 

“Danny’s right,” Dick pipes up, looking at the board and up at Tim, eyes moving quickly. “Tim figured it out.” 

Almost angrily, Jason grabs the dice and rolls them. Unfortunately, his luck isn’t much better than Tim’s roll was, and he barely moves. 

“Fuck!” Jason shouts, rubbing his hands aggressively over his face. 

It’s not over yet, though. 

Danny turns to face Dick, and sees when Dick notices that his moment of weakness to use the bathroom would doom him. Everyone was heading for the middle, but Danny knew Dick didn’t really have a clue. 

Yet, it was Dick’s turn. 

Amused, Danny watches as the cogs turn in Dick’s head. He is the closest to the middle of the board. If he doesn't go for it, he’ll lose. 

Dick lets out a deep sigh, shoulders slumping as he puts his face in his hands. Danny pats his back comfortingly, smiling slightly to himself. The other man just groans in despair. 

“Fuck it,” Dick mutters into his hands, adjusting in his seat so he was sitting upright.

Quicker than Danny’s eyes could follow, Dick grabbed the dice off of the board and shook them in his hand. Releasing them, the first red die landed on three next to ruins. The other one rolled further on the table, off the board, rolling close to the edge. 

Danny watches it, partially hoping it’ll fall just to cause Dick more distress. It doesn’t. It lands on five. 

Dick is only six squares away from the middle. 

Reaching forward, Dick grabs his red piece and moves it towards the center. 

“I would like to make an accusation!”

(the rest is already on archive but it's choose your own ending which ... the formatting doesn't really work on tumblr imo)

Did I go slightly insane? Maybe.

Batman themed Clue board done up in the style of the original Clue art. Everything but the table is painted~

Done for @haunting-heroes-creative-games.

[dairy-farmer]

So here I am, feel free to ignore if I'm breaking any boundaries.

 Your story actually made me think of Tim’s process through the trauma and mainly how he processes most adult things. I do like soft, hurt, self-sacrificing Tim like any hot, red blooded fan, of course.

But let me argue that Tim Drake is not a child child, he has been his own responsible adult since he was six. He learned budgeting and bills and taxes and stranger danger and all the things adults eventually teach children from TV/the internet and he is not ashamed of it.

Kinda that when Jack and Janet left him alone with a housekeepr, he basically parentified himself.

So in comes the 12/13 year old who sees Batman tiptoeing the edge and goes: I can fix this dude so hard!

And yeah, Bruce is almost lost to his grief and barely conscious of the utter shitshow around him, “sure, whatever kid, be Robin, but train with other adults, I’m too broken hearted to adult right now. Oh, you learned from Alfred and Dick, great, Imma teach you and oh, you disappeared for a while, huh, you got even better, I wonder what you did, well whatever let’s go on patrol.”

And years pass, Bruce heals, he gets his family back, he gains allies and perspective.

And maybe one day he is high as a kite on some scarecrow or ivy drug or whatever, he beat the villain, he did the justice, weee~

And he realizes he is home and Tim’s tiny hand is pulling hin towards the bathroom and he is confused.

Tim, on the other hand, is so used to Bruce’s shit, that he simply taps him on the back of the knees to make him kneel by the toilet bowl and goes: “Okay, you feel up to puking on your own or should I make you?”

And Bruce is even more confused because his children usually weren’t like this, they were soft and depended on his stability, none of his children should see him this vulnerable.

And maybe he takes a little too long to reply because suddenly Tim is shoving two fingers down his throat while holding the back of his head and suddenly Bruce is vomiting and Tim pats his heaving back and makes sure none of it goes in his  hair while TSKING because “Really Bruce? Don’t be a baby, my hand can’t hurt that much, I’m like 13.”

And Bruce, for once, realizes he is not the parent in this relationship and he is not sure how it happened.

You can extrapolate Bruce Mommy/Daddy-issues Wayne would definitely fall for that scarily inteligent teen that has become his highly unimpressed new mommy if you like.

Or he simply tries (and fails) to parent this child who somehow doesn’t need him like Dick and Jason and Damian ever did and he is frightened that if Tim doesn’t need him he will leave.

Which is why Tim gets more benefits than Dick and Jason ever did at his age COMBINED.

A car? You got it.

A Ducatti? Red, black or both?

Your own team instead of integrating you to Dick’s? SURE THING!

It is quite telling that even if Dick is Bruce’s oldest adopted child and the one he is trusting the mission to, TIM is the one who is supposed to inherit the company and thus Batman’s biggest source of income and Bruce’s charity and social justice pet projects in case of Bruce’s death.

________________________________________________________________

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i just read the comment you left on ‘here cometh the iceman’ and i cannot tell you how happy i was to be greeted by this in my inbox!!!!!!! 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍!!!!

i love your tim HC so much because it reallly does align with how he behaves so often! tim is a child who has, often, had to parent himself. in the comics it’s implied that the majority of his developmental years in school were spent in boarding schools where his only supervisors were teachers and the few adults whose job were to look out for them. but even then tim would’ve had to learn how to deal with a lot of things himself- he had to put himself to bed, decide what and how to regulate his diet, how to deal with interpersonal issues along with any tension that came with living with another kid his age. tim is essentially a young adult in a child’s body. and to contrast that is bruce. who arguably, while he is an adult, lacks a lot of the landmark developmental milestones that tim has already had (through no choice of his own). 

bruce has alfred as a kind of crutch so many of the “adult” things tim experienced were things he never learned or developed the skills for. hence why when they came together, tim who was the more responsible, mature, and developed “adult” took care of bruce. it’s such an upside down pineapple situation where bruce is the grown up but the child and tim is the child but the grown up. so tim caring for bruce like when he gets poisoned and needs to vomit, tim treats him like a child who has swallowed something he wasn’t supposed to. he falls into caring for bruce like it’s a routine and bruce is struck with the realization of what had been happening while his head was buried in the sand from his grief.

bruce has sooo many hangups about his parents and their deaths, his relationship with them has guided so much of his life and how he expresses (or doesn’t express) his love. alfred had cared for and loved him but always maintained him an arm’s length away perhaos out of respect for bruce and the relationship he had with his parents. but tim! tim treats him in that soft way his mother did, taking a rag and dabbing away the sweat from his brow when bruce starts sweating buckets after vomiting. so many things tim does for him reminds bruce so starkly of his mother and father and it kind of makes him uncomfortable but that feeling gets trampled by and is the reason he never puts a stop to it - he likes it. he likes being doted on and cared for, he like that tim feeds him warm broths, oatmeals, and chicken soup. he likes that tim presses featherlight kisses to his scrapes and cleaned wounds. with tim there’s no expectation of him to make the first move, be responsible, or be the parent. not like there was with jason or dick.

but there’s also the fact that bruce no longer offers something to tim. safety, protection, etc. the things you expect from a parent. tim doesn’t want them, in fact he’s the one who provides them because bruce startles awake from a bad dream and tim is already there to comfort him.

bruce attempting to become the parent in their dynamic similarly failing leaves him scrambling and leaves him scared about the fact that tim could leave him.

this fundamentally changing their dynamic is so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its why tim gets more leeway than the others, why he’s treated differently and “allowed” so much independence. i think if jason and dick weren’t so preoccupied with their own lives and issues they might stop and be like “hey wtfff”.

tim and bruce’s relationship and dynamic is one of the most fascinating to me because the two of them are mirrors, foils, and almost caricatures of each other in some cases. the two of them share so much in common but are also fundamentally different people. if tim had been in bruce’s shoes from birth he would’ve likely followed the same path but been different. same with bruce. if he had been the little idealistic boy whose parents more or less neglected him, he would’ve followed the same path as tim had but been....different. the two of them are such good characters, their shared history and dynamic is fascinating and thank you so much for this really good deep dive into their character and relationship!!!!!!! it’s so good!!!!!!!!!!!!

[louff4tw]

I can see Bruce either creating or yearly donating/actively helping to charity’s to help kids in the situations his kids have been in. So this is my personal head cannon

Like foster kids/child services is a huge one. Dick fell through the cracks along with Jason. What happened to Tim was ignored. With Stephanie’s home life you know she went through a round or two. So I totally see him working that system to better help kids and make it so even Rich ass holes get checked. Does that make it harder for himself. He doesn’t care so many children got helped. And funding for proper foster home checks and that there are more homes. He becomes certified for Dick and later The others.

Also Homeless shelters that focus on helping kids specifically, a home. Food. Schooling. Health care. Repeat offenders who prefer that place to foster homes. Batfam makes regular appearances to check on the kids. You have not lived till you see Batman stoically playing Mario cart as little girls put glitter stickers on him, the Wayne family makes the occasional visit and one or two kids put 2 and 2 together but never said anything

And rehab and mental help for addicts is another, with Jason and Stephanie’s moms. He already was for these but did so even more when He adopted/took in both. When the programs and rehab worked for her Mom Steph she didn’t say anything but hugged Bruce tightly when she went to spend the night at her moms,

When Jason died he made sure the Library stayed open. It was Jason’s favourite place. Even before being adopted. They always let him in in the winter. They named the new childrens wing after Jason cause Bruce may have gone over board

When he took in Cass he donated/helped charity’s that focused on children who had the rougher end and needed help communicating, it ended up also helping children and adults who didn’t know how to read or write due to being homeless or bad homeschooling and disabled kids who fell through the cracks. Cass probably loves to go down and help out, feels less like a freak

When he took in Duke he made sure his parents and other victims get the best care. Anyone in permanent care facilities he makes sure are taken care of.

When Barbara got shot he made sure everywhere she goes gets accessibility and then started expanding and making it a city wide program and having a reporting system so that “this says it is but it’s really not” gets fixed

By this point he’s made it so health care is basically free at this point. He’s also made it so Tuition costs for secondary schools are way down, like how it was in the 50s where a minimum wage job is enough.

Crime has also gone way down. I also don’t doubt he donates and helps so many other charity’s but those are the big ones, when he took in Damian it was more Pet charity’s then anything as no charity or social program would have been able to help him